Outside the barrier…

In the span of five minutes, the barrier is gradually using less tendrils to replace the sliced ones in place. In turn, Blackmore has the edge the entire time owing to favorable conditions allowing him to utilize Catch the Rainbow to the fullest, with not even the emeralds eventually not able to divert the rain. However, he's getting impatient the more this dragged on, feeling like he's getting nowhere even if he increased the speed of the rainfall and cutting strength.

Just when he thought of employing direct measures to slice open the barrier, he starts noticing the emeralds slowly, but surely, stop shooting because there are few emeralds being shot out.

"So… you have finally given up using your Stand to protect your comrades," Blackmore sneered, literally looking down at the retreating membranes. "Well then… Catch the Rainbow! Tear this barrier apart at last, and stab those zombies!"

The sound of tendrils getting sliced is like music to his ears as the barrier finally recedes until no more tendrils are found. Believing his targets are now exposed, Blackmore commands the rain to stab, pierce and puncture their bodies without mercy…

…At least, he would until he noticed no presence to be seen below him.

?!

"What?" Lifting his mask up to see if he's imagining it, Blackmore can see no one is present on the spot where the barrier was erected. Since they are trapped there, escape is impossible for them. That is, unless… A certain ability was used in an attempt to trick him that they simply vanished, when in reality, they might be hiding beneath the ground.

Bucciarati must be getting desperate to protect the girls and his group. Perhaps I must wait for them to come out. I'll just have to reinforce the rain to keep its slicing power which will pierce their heads the moment they come out. Now then, I'll just go down and wait close to the ground…

Stepping down stationary raindrops like he's stepping down the stairs, Blackmore's feet are a few meters above the ground as six raindrops hold his feet together. He stopped, not planning on stepping foot on the pavement and instead decided to hover above. He'll just have to wait for his targets to get impatient and come out from their hiding spots, hoping they will meet the rain piercing their heads before they can react.

However, Blackmore has a change of plan. He did think that Bucciarati used Sticky Fingers to create a zipper opening for everyone to hide themselves in. That's a feasible scenario he can think of to explain why they are not all present when the barrier broke down. Or perhaps, that is what they like for him to think so he would not notice someone using their Stands to immobilize him until it's too late.

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…Try ensnaring me with your Stand or else you will see what'll happen to you immediately after."

Blackmore didn't turn around when he spoke to Kakyoin, who had Hierophant Green brought out to capture him using the unraveled tendrils. The user stops his Stand's motion when he hears him speak up.

"…If you are thinking I am a coward for fleeing after I took the Showa Idol hostage and made it here, I'm not," he continued speaking. "I have to take Ghiaccio and Doobie Wah!'s place when they're defeated by your groupmates and continue where they left off. It is my luck that the group that defeated Doobie Wah!, the tornado Stand, appeared before I showered them with multiple cuts and wounds. Perhaps you like it to happen to you as well?" He then turns around, showing his glaring eyes that did not hide his utter contempt for him and his comrades.

"As if I would agree to that," Kakyoin refused, returning his glare with his own. "While part of me is frustrated I didn't get to capture you first, I shouldn't let it get to my head because of what will happen to you next." He smirked at the end.

Blackmore blinked. "What?"

"RED BIND!"

"DOGGY STYLE!"

!?

Both of his hands and wrists got ensnared and gripped respectively by a flaming rope and wire rope, which then covered most of his forearm. Sensing they got him, Avdol and Mamezuku come out from a zipper opening that appeared on the ground, their respective Stands hovering behind them.

"Yes! We got him!" Avdol exclaimed in delight.

Undeterred, Blackmore is about to cut the ropes apart with the rain but Kakyoin, knowing what he will do next, proceeds to cover his entire body with Hierophant Green's tendrils and restrain his movement.

"Grr…! Gnnnngrrrhhh! !" Blackmore struggled within their grip, angry and distressed by the many ropes wrapping his body. To think he fell into their trap which was part of a ruse to direct his thoughts to what he believes to be their escape plan. If ensnaring him is not enough, then Kakyoin conjuring another barrier that covers everyone including him will further put him in a disadvantage, because he realizes Kakyoin's intention of applying cover to them: it's to prevent the rain from falling on them.

I see… That's an impressive strategy they made…! I already heard that they have the potential of working together as a competent Stand group, but this just proves it!

With Blackmore trapped, the rest of the group came out from a large zipper and saw he was immobilized. Bucciarati, Narancia, Johnny and Gyro quickly surround him, summoning their Stands close to him in case he tries retaliating.

Seeing the enemy that has caused nothing but trouble for them, Saki hollered in amusement, exclaiming, "Haha! You guys managed to get that prick!"

"It's all thanks to Kakyoin-san that they got the enemy where they wanted him to be!" Lily shared her enthusiasm for seeing the enemy at a disadvantage.

"It's too early for us to celebrate," Ai told them, cautious of what the enemy is planning even if he's trapped. "We must stay cautious until the enemy is absolutely dead."

"Yeah! I have a feeling this plan is not foolproof and may fall apart in an unexpected way!" Sakura agreed with Ai.

"Hey, at least be glad our bodyguards worked together to catch him." Saki remarked.

"I know, I know. But still! I can't help but feel worried!" Sakura stated.

ドドドドドドドド

As rain continues pouring against the Hierophant Barrier, the assembled zombies look at their opponent, the elusive Blackmore, calmly staring all of them down despite being at a disadvantage. Without uttering any words, they didn't dare avert their eyes under the possibility they might miss their next move. When it seems like this silence will be broken by anyone speaking up, Blackmore decides to indulge in his curiosity over the fourteen zombies' efforts to continue living in spite of having no place in society as undead. "Tell me mister Bruno. Are you ｢fine｣ being a zombie, in a world where such creatures have no place in it and are usually seen as monsters?"

"What?" Bucciarati let out, not expecting he would choose this moment to ask him. "You're asking me at this time of hour?"

"Is it weird for even an enemy like me to ask one? I just wanted to indulge my own curiosity over your desire to keep living as a zombie. Well? Are you gonna answer me or not?" He remarked.

"Don't listen to him! Just kill him and get this over with!" Johnny told Bruno as he continued pointing his finger to Blackmore, with Tusk ACT3 behind him.

While Bucciarati agreed and so wanted to kill him, hearing the enemy asking him makes him realize that this could be his chance to get information about Blackmore's superior. While Rianima did a great job in defeating enemy Stands across Saga, they haven't gotten any lick of clues about their main enemy that has been supplying Saga with enemy Stands. It doesn't help that the past enemies don't have the capacity to speak or have limited speech, so they have no way of talking with them.

Now that they have someone who can act and speak normally, Bucciarati decides to seize this chance of getting info.

"If I answer your question, may I ask you too?"

"Bucciarati!?"

Everyone turned to him incredulously when he decided to hear their enemy out. For all they know, Blackmore could be taking advantage of having a conversation to break out of the ropes and continue his attack.

Narancia turned to him with an agitated look and exclaimed, "What are you saying, Bucciarati!? This bastardo is making you waste our time in finally killing him! Don't say anything to him, please!"

"I know that all of you are concerned that I'm taking a risk in having a talk with Blackmore," Bucciarati remains calm and collected as Sticky Fingers reaches out its hand to insert a zipper on Blackmore's throat. "But the way I see this, this is our only chance to get info about the ｢man｣ behind the attempts on our lives and Saga. Tatsumi only knows about the enemy Stands we are up against but not the one who is issuing commands to them to kill us. This may take long, but I'm hoping the results outweigh the risk we're in."

While they still have reservations, everyone sees his reasoning solid. It is true they haven't learned anything about the man who wants to destroy Saga. This chance will not come in the future, so they have to seize it as long as Rianima gets everything under control.

Blackmore repeated the question when he saw Bucciarati willing to talk with him. "I'll ask you again, mister Bruno. What's it like being revived as a zombie, in a world where you are all seen as monsters?"

"…If I'm completely honest," Bucciarati began. "Living as a zombie is… an eye-opener, and interesting. Even three months later, I cannot get over the idea of Tatsumi reviving us from the dead to, in his own words, 'save' Saga through leading the girls in becoming popular local idols while the seven of us become their protectors. If I choose to decline the role of bodyguard, I would have returned to Italy with Narancia and seek out our old friends. In fact, Ai and Junko planned to leave Saga behind after they had woken up despite not thinking about the public's reaction to walking corpses and honestly, I can't blame them for doing it." The two idols avert their eyes when they heard him bring up the incident.

"But! Just because I was forced back to the living as an undead doesn't mean I won't waste my second chance to make a difference in a world full of lies and conflict," Bucciarati glares to Blackmore with eyes full of resolve as he continues his speech about being a zombie pushed to the spotlight after his awakening. "We may have to seclude ourselves from the public as we follow signor Tatsumi's preposterous goal but if your master has every intention to kill us and threaten Saga, they should be ready for us because when we find them, our retaliation will be swift and without mercy. In spite of many questions I have regarding his intentions, I believe Tatsumi and his unknown acquaintance want us to get used to living as a zombie if they chose us to be revived. In a given time, you will know for sure that us being zombies will not hinder us from ｢continuing living｣, and whatever you think of us doesn't matter in our eyes. At the end of the day, we will take on anything we may face! Even ｢against｣ odds!"

His impassioned speech alone has done a great job rousing everyone up. Whether it's his charisma or the content of his speech, the zombies believe that they can take anything that is thrown at them as long as they accept their undead life and make the best of it. They may be from different eras or reality and have different professions and quirks, but they are not detrimental to their desire to live.

As long as they're together as one, they can do anything they have their heart set on, no matter how impossible it seems.

After Bucciarati is done, Blackmore appears to like his long answer. Though his expressionless face makes it hard to decide if he did like it or not, his next statement may have confirmed it. "I see. An interesting response. I believe you will all strive to keep on living in spite of your own disadvantages."

"That sums up what I said to you." Bucciarati said.

"Hmph. Well then… In exchange, I'm willing to inform you all some details about the ｢man｣ who brought me here in Saga…"

Everyone lets out murmurs of surprise that Blackmore chooses to keep his word. If he wasn't their enemy, then they would have liked him a little.

"Who is this man who has caused us no end of trouble? What is his ｢motive｣ for doing so?" Bucciarati questioned, having Sticky Fingers at standby.

"Well, I find his reasoning to be confusing and contradictory to his actions, but…" Blackmore lets out a sigh as if even he doesn't seem to favor it, before he answers, "His sole motive as to why he is doing all of this to endanger your lives… is to make you all ｢survive｣ every fight and ｢strengthen｣ your ties as a group."

Mimicking his hesitant answer, everyone is puzzled and skeptical of the presumed motive of his unknown superior. His answer is not what they expected at all.

"Adding to what I said," continued Blackmore. "The person in charge has ｢nothing｣ to gain if all of you, even just one, died. In fact, all enemy Stands the boss summoned made it explicit to target you thirteen, and only thirteen zombies, not everyone else including your manager."

That… doesn't make sense. If their master wants them alive, why is it fixated on killing them in the first place?

"Thirteen?" Sakura found it odd Blackmore said that number when he said enemy Stands clearly targeted them. "So everyone here must be attacked by enemy Stands… except ｢me｣?"

"I believe you owe us an answer," Kakyoin told him. "Why is Sakura the only one here who hasn't turned into a human? Is there a reason why, or was it a mistake on your boss's part?"

"No. It's not a mistake that the girl is excluded. It was ｢intended from the start｣."

"From the start?"

"When Black Sabbath attacked her, miss Ai, miss Junko, and Gyro."

! !

The zombies stared wide-eyed over his answer, Sakura moreso. "W-W-What? I was meant not to be targeted at all from the moment I encountered my very first enemy Stand!?" She exclaimed, disbelief in her voice.

"Indeed," Blackmore confirmed. "You were not meant to be turned into human to make you easy pickings for enemy Stands. However, the boss must have made a mistake when he sent Black Sabbath on you four, turning you into a human like them. Predictably, he is not pleased, and as such, he made it ｢absolutely｣ clear that you will not be targeted next time, meaning you will remain as a zombie while your friends become vulnerable as a human."

As much as they are surprised Sakura is excluded in getting killed, one of them has a problem with the idea of Sakura being spared.

"Hey! Why does your "boss" choose to spare Sakura?" Saki shouted to him. "Does he have something for or against her? And if she is being spared, why not us? Or better yet, have your master stop trying to kill us and leave us alone!"

"I'm sorry miss Saki, but the boss will not sway from his decision to besiege you all with Stands at his disposal," he denied her request. "And as to why Sakura is the only one… I have some assumptions, but overall, I don't know why."

"And these assumptions are…?" Saki implored him to continue.

"It could be because he is feeling generous to Sakura, so he decides to spare her. Perhaps he sees her as an ordinary girl who got roped into the whole zombie business, considering she was a nobody even in death. Or… He is being patient and chooses to kill you last after he sees all of your friends drop dead, leaving you to stand among the corpses of your zombie friends as you cry over their dead bodies before he delivers the final blow to you. A form of cruel mercy, I might add."

"Hieeeee! That's… That's so sadistic!" Sakura exclaimed in fright, a sentiment shared by everyone.

"Well if it makes you feel better, the third assumption is not true. Only the first two are possible reasons why the boss wants you to be spared," Blackmore placated her. "I believe that as much as he wants to kill all of you, he doesn't want to get his hands dirty and decides to send out enemy Stands to let them do the work for him. I suppose he wants to be nice to you."

"That doesn't make his actions any better!" Sakura remarked in anger. Really, she thought he was a coward if he wanted to let his underlings do all the work.

"To be fair, my boss is nowhere to be found in Saga. They're an elusive character if they don't want to show their face in public, even to us," he revealed the possible status of the person in charge. "All I can tell is that it had their eyes on you for a long time because of the concept of zombies striving to live after dying enticing them."

"'They'? Do you not know their gender?" Junko pointed out the specific pronoun and inquired about it.

"…Yes. I didn't even see their face or hear them. I was given the order to kill you thirteen, like it came to my mind as a memory I remembered, just to let you know how they commanded me."

So not even the boss' minions know what they even look like. Whoever the zombies' main enemy is, they might be an elusive character and may have chosen that way for reasons only known by them."

"Anyway, that is all I can say to you. Some of you may find my answers unsatisfactory, but that's all I got considering how vague my boss was," Blackmore finished answering their questions. He squirms his body within the ropes as he says, "This has been fun. Such a shame it's going to be all over soon. I'm sorry we won't be seeing each other again…"

"Yeah! We surely won't miss your face and your scary mask for sure!" Lily sneered at him, believing Rianima will make short work of Blackmore.

"…Actually, I meant all of you. Not me."

The group stared at him in impending dread. "What?" Mamezuku lets out, trying to interpret his response.

"You thought I would be willing to die entangled like this? And the rain not pouring inside the barrier? Sorry to disappoint you all but… rain is not the ｢only one｣ that fuels Catch the Rainbow."

Screaming and shouting erupted as chaos unfolded upon Franchouchou and Rianima when water tendrils attacked everyone. This includes Avdol, Mamezuku, Bucciarati and Kakyoin as they received another wound on their legs and arms. Because they got injured, they lost their grip on him.

Now free from their grasps, Blackmore avoids a punch from Sticky Fingers before sending a water tendril to strike its hands, sending Bucciarati away. He quickly scans his surroundings, noticing Gyro, Saki, Narancia, Yugiri and Tae lying or kneeling on the ground, Sakura's body trying to find her head that got sliced off for the fourth time which Lily is trying to help her, Kakyoin, Bucciarati and Mamezuku nursing their wounds and Johnny and Avdol occupied with disposing the water tendrils using Magician's Red and Tusk ACT4. That leaves the confused Ai and Junko exposed with no one else near them.

Seizing the chance with a grin, Blackmore uses his liquid body to move quickly towards them. Before the two realized it, two Blackmores had their grips on their necks, capturing them. The original one took Ai hostage pinning her to the ground with a water knife near her neck while the other, taking after his appearance in a watery form, its strong hands covering her mouth and nose.

"AHH!" Ai screamed in panic and fear, alerting everyone.

"Mmmmmmnnnnngh…!" Junko's screams are mumbled due to her mouth being covered by a liquid hand. She squirmed and tried to get its hands off of her, but since it's made of water, her hands just passed through.

"OH NO! Blackmore has Ai-chan and Junko-chan captured!" Sakura bellowed after Lily lifted her head high enough to see the short-haired girl pinned on the ground.

! !

Everyone turned to them in panic, some of them cursing for getting distracted thanks to Blackmore's surprise attack that prevented them from watching Blackmore.

"Hey! Get your hands off them! NOW!" Narancia shouted before sending Aerosmith to ram against him.

The knife's tip made a tiny incision on Ai's neck, drawing out blood that mixed with the water knife. Ai gasped and hissed in discomfort as Blackmore forced her to stand up and present her to the approaching airplane. "Move closer and see this girl's neck cut open if you want to see her blood spilled out!" He warned.

"AHHH! Crap, crap, crap! Aerosmith, move away!" Narancia panicked as he managed to swerve Aerosmith back to him in a U-turn before it continued hovering above him.

ドドドドドドドド

Ai's whimpering at the sight of a knife placed across her neck and Junko continuing to squirm and attempt to move to free her mouth when sensing her breathing begins to falter only adds to the intense stand-off between Blackmore and the zombies. However, this stand-off is firmly on Blackmore's end because he has Ai hostage, who can end her life with just a slicing of her neck. Sakura, Junko, and Lily are close to panicking, Saki, Yugiri and Tae could only glare or growl at him with Saki holding Tae from charging, Avdol, Bucciarati, Johnny and Mamezuku give Blackmore stern and angry looks and Narancia and Gyro gritted their teeth in anger, not liking seeing one of their companions threatened. The only one who is calm despite the intense scene is Kakyoin, who merely stares at him, but not hiding his contempt.

Eyeing everyone's reactions, Blackmore lets a satisfied smirk appear on his face over having turned the advantage on him. "Should've killed me when you had the chance, Bruno Bucciarati! I'm glad you chose to talk with me which gave me ample time to prepare. It was a distraction I exactly needed so I can form many water tendrils without all of you noticing it. As you all recovered, I seized the closest targets, which landed us in this predicament."

"Tsk! I have a nagging feeling you were planning something when you suddenly decided to talk to me," Bucciarati expressed his regret over doing what Blackmore said. "But this is not what I expected. I thought you would be powerless because the barrier shields us all from the rain."

"So that's the reason why you lured me here and have Kakyoin construct a barrier," Blackmore understood their attempt in weakening him. He let out a chuckle, impressed by their strategy, but also disappointed they still haven't learned everything about how Catch the Rainbow can do. "If you thought depriving me of the rain could prevent me from using my ability, think again. As long as there is even a small puddle of rain in my vicinity, I can manipulate them as much as I want. In fact, I believe Avdol should have evaporated all the water so I would be completely useless."

"Hnngh! I haven't thought of doing that!" Avdol lamented.

"Hmph. Now you know, and you will regret that because I have Ai and Junko in our grips, waiting for death to take them back to the afterlife…"

"Eek!" Ai shrieked, staring at the knife closely and fearfully.

"Waaaaaaaaahhhhh!" Junko screamed, thrashing her arms and legs more desperately as her body began to weaken from lacking oxygen.

"NOOOOOOO! Stop, just please STOP! Let them go! Please, LET THEM GOOOO!" Sakura pleaded panickedly. She wished she could have done something, anything, to help. But because she has no way of assisting her bodyguards, she could only watch in the sidelines with feelings of dread and panic.

A faint ringing sound came to Blackmore's ears for a moment before they're gone. He didn't pay it any mind as he exclaims. "NO CAN DO! Watch as miss Junko's life ebbs into nothing as she drowns while I drive this knife into miss Ai's chest!" With all the shouting, screaming and outcry as they try to act once they see he is serious in killing Ai, Blackmore raises his hand as he declares, "SAY GOODBYE TO THE WORLD YOU DON'T BELOOOOOOONG!"

"AI-CHAAAAAN!" Almost every member of Franchouchou screamed in fright while Rianima frantically charged forward with their Stands, desperate to save the two.

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" Ai could do nothing but scream as she closed her eyes, pleading that her companions would save her somehow and hoping for dear life that she didn't get stabbed.

Fortunately, that's what happened.

Becoming still in fear, Ai senses something changed because she didn't feel a knife stabbing her. slowly opens her eyes when she doesn't feel a knife diving into her. Confused, she slowly opened her eyes and quickly noticed the knife was two inches away from touching her chest. She would have freaked out internally if she didn't notice next the knife twitching in Blackmore's grip. Not only that, but she can feel Blackmore's body also twitching. "…Huh?"

She's not the only one who is confused her life wasn't cut short by Blackmore stopping, as everyone, most of which are in the middle of retaliating against him like Saki, Tae, Avdol, Bucciarati and Gyro ceasing their movements when they noticed him twitching. They can also see the hand covering Junko's mouth and nose have slackened and fallen off, allowing her to breath normally after gasping. "Aaaaahhh…!"

"W-What…! What is this…!? My body… I can't… I can't m-move!" Blackmore stammered in disbelief, trying everything he could do to lift even one finger in his hand. Alas, they remain still and unmoving against his will. "This feeling…! Something… is inside of me! How come I realized this just now!? Moreover, why is my body, and my Stand, not following my command!? What on earth is going on?! ?!"

"You were in the process of being ｢punished｣… by me."

Kakyoin spoke up after falling silent the entire time the zombies were watching Ai and Junko at Blackmore's mercy.

"…Kakyoin?" Sakura turned to him alongside everyone, including the enemy. Cherry Boy himself is covered in green aura, and a look of hatred and resolve directed at Blackmore. This time, the enemy starts fearing the look he is giving him, which is enhanced by his twitching body that makes him appear he's shaking in fear.

"P-Punished…?" He parroted, not realizing this was the beginning of his defeat.

BGM: Noble Pope (Stardust Crusaders [Departure] OST)

Staying composed the whole time, Kakyoin spells out what is going on to his friends and enemy. "You heard me. I'll be the one to give you a punishment you deserve after all the trouble you gave me and my friends. You're probably wondering why you can't move your body, stopping you from stabbing Ai-chan with your knife. That's because Hierophant Green has already got you the moment Avdol, Mamezuku-san, Bucciarati-san and I have ensnared you, right from the very start."

"W-What...? What are you saying?" Blackmore asked. "Your Stand captured me some minutes ago!"

"Oh I don't mean wrapping you up with Hierophant Green's tendrils," he smirked right before revealing this, "What I am saying is… ｢Hierophant Green has already entered your body｣."

"M-My body!?"

True to what Kakyoin said, Blackmore's mouth forcefully opened to reveal Hierophant Green's face peeking inside after he made gurgling noises, like he's about to throw up. "GWAAAAHHH! ! ! Th-Thish…! It cam't biiii…!" His words came out muffled but it didn't dilute his surprise and disbelief. Everyone else is also in the same boat as him.

"Huh? Hierophant Green got inside Blackmore?" Johnny stated. "But, when did it get there?"

"…Could it be? Hierophant Green entered his body during Bucciarati's talk with Blackmore?" Avdol realized, aware of how Kakyoin's other move worked the most. Turning to him, he asks, "Did you guess he was planning to escape the entire time so you planted your Stand inside of him when we thought he had the upper hand?"

A nod from Kakyoin confirms his hypothesis. "That's right," he turns to the panicking Blackmore and says, "While you were talking with Bucciarati-san, I secretly put Hierophant Green's tendril inside of you through your ears, making sure it was discreet enough that you wouldn't notice it entering through your head. I have put too many tendrils to wrap your body entirely so you thought I stopped myself after we ensnared you. That was a distraction. By the time you break free and have Ai and Junko taken hostage, Hierophant Green has already completed infiltrating your body. As such, the reason why you are made unable to stab Ai-chan is because Hierophant Green has taken control of your body. You were so sure you have won that you proceed to gloat victoriously of achieving your objective, not realizing until it's too late that I am one step ahead of you."

"Y-YOU…! You dare do this to ME!?" Blackmore accused him once Hierophant Green retreated back in, allowing him to speak normally. Unwilling to let him have his way, Blackmore manipulates the surrounding water to instead lunge towards Ai. "If I can't move my body, then these water spouts shall pierce through her! IT'S OVER! ! !"

"AAAHHH! NOOOO!" She screamed, watching the water tendrils lunging at her and about to skewer her.

"Release Ai, now!" Kakyoin quickly commanded. To everyone's surprise, Blackmore complied, throwing Ai away from him just as the tendrils pierce his body. They passed through harmlessly, but suddenly, he howled in pain as blood flowed out from numerous wounds that appeared all around him, puncturing or ripping his attire. In reality, Hierophant Green inflicted those wounds from the inside.

ボド ボド ボド

"UGYAAAAAHHHH!"

Blackmore getting hurt also has the side effect of negating his water clone, freeing Junko. The white-haired girl quickly seized this moment to get away, running into the safety of her groupmates and bodyguards. Ai also followed.

"Ai-chan! Junko-chan!" Sakura called out in relief, watching them be hugged respectively by Saki, Lily, Yugiri, Tae, Bucciarati, Narancia, and Gyro to calm them with faces full of joy and comfort.

"The two are in safe hands! Kakyoin, hurry! Finish him off!" Avdol implored.

As Blackmore suffers from internal bleeding but is unable to kneel down because Hierophant Green is forcing him to stand up, Kakyoin gives him a look of contempt as he says, "Bad move, Blackmore. As I said before, you already gave my friends a bit of trouble in your attempt to kill them. I hope whoever is sending you to us is watching, because I'll let this be an example to them of what'll happen when Rianima eventually finds them and puts a stop to their reign of terror over Saga. Their motives may be confusing, but that is not an excuse for endangering my friends. If you thought we have no future for us because we are zombies, then you're wrong. We may not know what the future has in store for us, but we will ｢prevail｣! ｢Justice｣ will be served to all kinds of evil!"

"Now… Time for your punishment… HIEROPHANT GREEN!"

The humanoid Stand quickly exited Blackmore's body, damaging his insides more as a result as a fountain of blood gushed out from his mouth and the many wounds on his body. Not stopping for a moment, Hierophant Green unravels its lower body to send tendrils across the ground before they extend upwards to skewer his body, carrying him above everyone. Then Kakyoin gives him a coup de grace.

"NOW DIE! HIEROPHANT BARRIER…! EMERALD SPLAAAAAAASH!"

ドバァァーッ

Dozens of emeralds fired at Blackmore from above, all sides, and even below him thanks to the tendrils implanted across the ground. Everyone either backed away or covered their eyes when a dazzling sparkle of emerald explosion started occurring, putting the defeated Blackmore in more pain.

"NGAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGggggghhhhhhhhh...!"

Blackmore's death scream trails off in the end as a final explosion of emeralds occurs. After a second, Hierophant Green stops shooting, and what's left of Blackmore is gone, obliterated by the combination of tendrils ripping his body apart and emeralds striking his body rapidly. All that's left of him is his broken mask lying on the ground, which eventually dissolves into water.

"He's… gone. Blackmore's gone," declared Sakura, her voice quiet at first then she raised the volume out of delight and relief. "Kakyoin had defeated Blackmore!"

With their last opponent for the night gone for good, Kakyoin disassembles the barrier, exposing himself and everyone to the rain again. Not even three seconds have passed before the sound of cracking glass is heard among the thirteen zombies. The ones who witnessed this event happen before remain calm and quell the ones who didn't down, stating that it's a harmless process.

ガシャンッ

Their "skins" shattered, turning their skin green back as they became zombies again. And so, this night's three-way fight turned into a desperate struggle for survival has ended at last, with no casualties on their side.

Releasing a sharp intake of breath she's been holding a couple of times, Sakura falls on the ground on her knees, sighing they survived their encounter with three enemy Stands. "Finally… It's over… I'm glad we're all safe." She said, letting out a shaky sigh again.

"We… We barely did," Junko also sighed, trembling in fear still even if she's relieved no one was ultimately killed. In fact, everyone's injuries and wounds get healed when they turn back into zombies. She thought this must be another effect of the strange phenomenon. "It's all thanks to our bodyguards, Kakyoin especially, that they managed to defeat the three enemy Stands."

"Yeah. If they were not with us when we each encountered the three enemies, we would be dead soon." Ai agreed, rubbing her neck that almost had a knife planted against it.

"Blackmore gave us a hard time in this condition, but Kakyoin managed to seize the victory in the end," Saki replied this to help lighten the mood and make them see the bright side of what they achieved out of the fight. "Sure it got dangerous and exhausting getting involved whether we want it or not, but so long as Kakyoin and his comrades are here, I bet we'll survive. Actually, no. We will absolutely survive and live to see another day!"

"…Yeah. Yeah! You're right Saki-chan," Sakura's mood was lifted as she agreed with Saki's reassurance as she smiled at her friend. But she became pensive again, saying "Still, I'm worried of what manner of Stands we could face in the future, and where could their ｢mysterious boss｣ be and how they'll react we achieved yet another victory."

"Whether they be worried, angered, or become more determined to kill us, we won't be faltered," declared Kakyoin as Avdol, Bucciarati and Mamezuku walked closer. "It's alright for you to be worried, Sakura. Don't take it as something you must not think about. Everyone, including me, is having the same thoughts as you."

"He's right," said Avdol. "We will continue to protect you girls and see mister Kotaro's objective succeed together."

"Yup! Just don't go worrying your head off! Remember, we're beside you!" Narancia nodded while pumping his fists enthusiastically.

"Lily agrees with Narancia-san!" Lily pumps her chest with a determined smile.

"*giggles* Me too." Yugiri joined.

"Arrrrrhhh. Bwwwmmm…" Tae shows her support in her own manner: biting Sakura's head. Number One tries to gently get her mouth off her.

"Hah! Then I expect you guys to work extra hard! I'll kill ya if you fall short of our expectations!" Saki jested with a wide grin.

"I'll take that as a challenge, nyo-ho!" Gyro exclaimed, tipping his hat up.

"Don't be tempted. Curb your expectations." Mamezuku chided them.

"Everyone is so enthusiastic and hopeful, huh. Not that I don't like it." Johnny smiled.

"Even a little encouragement is needed after we have three close calls against enemy Stands," Bucciarati told him. "Our work is not finished, but for now, let us cherish this moment."

Seeing everyone following Kakyoin's act of reassuring her, Sakura shows a smile to them as thanks for their support, seeing she shouldn't be so worried if they are here with her. Whether they are zombies, idols, Stand Users (well, soon to be), or bodyguards, she feels a weight lifted on her shoulder.

As much as she wants to join them and voice her support, Junko remembers she has to make up with Ai. The issue with enemy Stands has delayed it, but with things calming down, she sought to do it now so they can salvage their argument. On this, she turns to the short-haired girl staring at the assembled group with a neutral face and calls her "Hey, Mizuno-san."

"Huh? Oh, Junko-chan…" The idol turned to her, her wary eyes slowly averting aside once she remembered their altercation and Saki's group's advice. This made her feel regretful and awkward when around the Showa idol.

Junko stares into her eyes as she thinks on what she will say, she listens without quarrel this time. Breathing deeply first, Junko says, "So about what we argued this evening…"

Ai expected that would be the topic for their conversation, and yet, she can't help but say this, "Lemme guess. You're still hung up on your old ways?"

"Yes. Nothing's gonna change that," she reaffirmed her stance, then next she responded quick before Ai got the wrong idea. "But! Kakyoin-san, Narancia-san and Sakura-san talked to me about my predicament over the contemporary direction the idol industry is taking and may have found something that can benefit an idol from the 80s like me."

At that, Ai became curious, and asked, "Really? What did they suggest?"

Smiling that perhaps they can patch up soon, Junko is more than happy to answer her. But before she can, she notices something behind Ai. Huh? What's that behind her? Is that… a cloud? A small cloud…?

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ

It's almost hard to see in the dark, but Junko can see there's a miniature cloud floating behind Ai. It used to be one, but it increased by three clouds raining down miniature drizzles and crackling with tiny lightning like they're static electricity. At first, Junko is not sure what to make of it until she sees the clouds merge and grow in size and its form into a humanoid being with vertically slitted ruby eyes, wing-like accessories attached to its shoulders and knees and its body pure white like a cirrus cloud.

Junko's eyes widen when she realizes instantly what the cloud-like humanoid is while Ai, wondering why she's taking longer than she thought and noticed she's looking at something behind her, asks, "Junko, what's wrong? Why are you staring at-"

"AI, LOOK OUT!"

"Ugh!?"

She nearly tripped on her behind when a panicked Junko suddenly pushed her out of the way in a panic, just as the cloudy being rushed toward her. Instead of Ai being its kidnapping victim, the humanoid instead snatched her.

"WAAAAAHHHH! EVERYONE, HEEEEEEEELP!"

!?

BGM: Discomfort (Stone Ocean OST)

Junko's cry for help snaps every zombies' attention towards the girl flailing her legs while hoisted up in the air as she struggles to free herself as the cloudy humanoid maintains its arm grip on her neck.

"EHHH!? J-JUNKO-CHAN!?" Sakura shouted in surprise and alarm.

"The hell!? How did ya get up there!?" Saki asked.

His eyes widening in disbelief, Bucciarati narrowed his eyes in chagrin, unable to believe what he was seeing. "I don't believe this… A ｢fourth｣ enemy Stand!" He announced.

! !?

A round of surprise, shock and even cursing erupted, with Johnny exclaiming, "A FOURTH!? Isn't that too much for one night!?"

Keeping its grip on poor Junko as it floats, the cloud-like enemy Stand only gave them an observant look, before it raised its hands and started producing mist that proceeded to cover and obscure the two. It didn't take them long to realize the Stand is about to escape with Junko captured.

"CRAP! The enemy's about to disappear! AEROSMITH!" Narancia brought out his Stand and started firing bullets. Kakyoin, Avdol and Bucciarati soon followed, bringing out their Stands to stop the silent Stand and rescue Junko. Unfortunately, they were not fast enough as the fog fully obscured them, and when the Stands made it to the fog, they just passed through it.

"It can't be! Junko and the enemy Stand, they… They ｢disappeared｣!" Avdol exclaimed in disbelief.

"What!?" Lily shouted, pulling Tae back as she and the others watched the fog disperse and confirmed Avdol was right. Junko and the fourth enemy Stand are nowhere to be seen.

They simply… vanished in thin air.

To be continued

For some reason, I have a good time editing this chapter. I guess it's because I'm glad I scrapped the original ending for this chapter to have Junko get mortally wounded by Blackmore getting one last attack to spite the heroes' victory. I thought it's a fine idea and wanted to toy around that just because they're zombies doesn't mean they're not susceptible to death, and could got taken out by an outside factor without warning. But I came to hate it because it gave the impression Junko died when she just went into coma. It's similar to what happened to Avdol when Hol Horse and J Geil seemingly killed him. But since I decide to have Junko be kidnapped, I don't mind it. As a plus, Blackmore got defeated in the most painful and humiliating way possible to provide catharsis.

Anyway, I'll continue working to add the next set of chapters. Please stay safe out there!